


Plants And Art

by NervousAliceCurious



Category: Original Work
Genre: Art Hop, Fluffy, Gen, Just Looking Around, shy character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 15:44:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20566853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousAliceCurious/pseuds/NervousAliceCurious
Summary: A sweet boi tries to be social. With mixed results.





	Plants And Art

**Author's Note:**

> I had too much fun.

The bus gusts around a corner, blowing my hood into my face.

Necessity has me in a rain coat.

Even though it hasn’t poured yet…

But I know it will.

I can feel it in the air.

What am I doing here?

In this place that I have never been before?

…Right.

I’m supposed to be getting out more.

Sigh.

I would much rather be with my plants.

I would much rather be with _her_.

However, classes wait for no one.

So.

I’ll just have to tackle this by myself.

In my own head, I’m terrified for anyone to talk to me.

It’s just my first reaction to conversation.

I freeze up, and then I stutter, and then I embarrass myself.

Is how it usually goes…

Unless circumstances are dire enough that I actually know what to say, or I actually know who you are.

1,031 years worth.

-Guess it’s a good thing that I found a crowd, then.

Colorful lights hanging from the trees.

Someone’s singing with a bird head on (a weird choice, but who am I to say?)

There are a lot of obscure restaurants.

Iron statues and rocks.

I pass by a particularly elaborate setup with an elk and a bear family.

How do people make these things?

It must take hours…

Continuing on down Pine Street.

I’d heard from Alice that the area was a hotbed of activity.

-At least for the entire next weekend.

Depending on if and when I find it, I’ll be hanging out for a couple of hours.

Maybe.

Probably-

…I _really_ don’t want to.

Oh.

Wow.

That…is a lot more people than I was prepared for.

My heart immediately climbs from my chest to my throat.

Fun.

As long as I fade into the background, I’ll be fine.

As long as no one notices me-

Yeah, that’s a pipe dream…

I’m literally towering over half the population.

Wait.

That could actually work in my favor!

For once, it won’t hurt if they avoid me out of fear.

Annnnd I haven’t moved in ten minutes.

Better get out of the way.

I step off the side walk, and knock over a wooden sign.

Great.

“S-sorry!”

I hurry to fix it.

“Nice face-paint”, the owner compliments.

…Why…

I flush in reflex.

-Which I _also_ didn’t want to do-

“Hey cool. Where’d you get that color, I’d love to know-“

“Um, uh-“

A m-make up color!?

“I-I don’t…remember”.

The last word I mumble into nothing.

“Oh, bummer. Well, it looks very cute on you”.

“Thanks…”

I stride off before they can ask me anything else.

“Come back anytime!”

Did anyone see that?

I hope not.

That was_ so_ awkward!

I can’t believe I broke their poor sign.

Eyes on me.

Nononono

I duck into the first building I find.

A warehouse of some kind?

…The blue rabbits remind me of someone.

“Hi. Would you like a brochure-“

I nearly jump out of my skin!

“Oh dear, did I startle you?”

“I-huh?”

“Did I scare you?”

“N-well-uh-“

Speak in complete sentences, you fool-

“No”.

That is a lie-

“Well that’s good to hear. Would you like a brochure?”

“…S-sure”.

I borrow one from her tableful.

“Thank you, and have a wonderful time at the Art Hop!”

I try to smile.

I don’t even want to think about whether whatever ends up on my face is convincing or not.

…I have to calm down.

This is supposed to be enjoyable, right?

Alice would be having the time of her life…I think.

I like the weird planets.

The mounted faces are a bit odd-

A Sugar Skull, a Man in the Moon.

A stuffed alligator clutching a human.

Batches of cartoon characters and cats in vivid penciling.

Vivid paint-

I can’t-I can’t-I can’t-

D-dolls…!

I’m shaking as I re-enter the main hallway.

Knowing that they…exist.

I **am** not going back in there.

Nothing can **make** me.

Any reminders of **him** I want to avoid at all costs!

Bad enough he’s stuck in my nightmares, I don’t need him taking over my daylight hours as well!!

It’s not…fair…

My nails dig into my palm in an effort to keep me grounded.

I just have to…forget about this for now.

Move on-

The stump of my right hand hurts.

Next zone.

I just came from…Purple?

Now I’m in green.

Music thumps in my ears despite the rain.

A makeshift dance square has been set up, and it’s crowded.

Food trucks line the sides of the road: Crepes, ice cream, chocolate-

I’m sure there’s more I haven’t covered, but I’m not in the mood to eat.

There’s a back alley covered in green parrots.

The perfect escape.

-No way anyone can walk on these stairs.

I am unconvinced.

It is a miracle I don’t break my ankles.

At the top is a broad sweep of pastel portraits, some human, some animals.

Some even pieces of scenery.

It’s mind-blowing.

I look out the window, and see a News Crew here, interviewing some people with flag poles coming out of their satchels.

Just what are they protesting for?

If there’s no other fact I have learned from this venture, it is that this part of the city is unpredictably strange.

-Oh yeah.

And that there are many dog owners.

They pay me no attention, thank the Lord, because I happen to be no good with animals.

They…they sniff at me, and bark, and, and…claw at my vines.

It is not that difficult to intimidate the h* out of me if you are small, and furry, and you think I’d make a great climbing pole.

-Don’t even get me started on cats.

The beer area hops with loud music again-

I wince, and rub at my ears.

At this rate, I’m going to be left with a headache.

Fortunately a (safe) house is nearby.

Wooden furniture and playable guitars share the space with photo-tapestries and even a coffin, of all things.

Looking at it me makes me uneasy.

I can’t say why-

It’s just…just this gut feeling I have.

Not exactly my taste, but hey.

To each their own.

I saw the thriving ivy growing along the edges of the building, and I knew I just had to go in!

Those bushes were gorgeous, lilies and roses and daisies and daffodils and I’m…rambling…

Um…

I like plants.

Okay?

Lights flood from the ceiling, chandeliers dangling.

In an opening in the wall, a puzzling spiral of technical equipment meets the spilling branches of a tree.

Empty standing lanterns fill every inch of available floor space surrounding it, while boxes of random gears and springs sit on the rear shelves.

There’s even a section of wall covered in white ivory things…it’s almost impossible to identify what they are from here.

I feel a magnetic pull to enter this logic-defying room.

It is unexplainable as to why…

But no.

The sky outside is getting darker.

If I leave and the way home becomes pitch-black.

I…

The panic rises in me at the thought.

Iron works line this newest maze of tables, the corridors being narrow and bringing me too close to the vendors.

Too…too close…

They flash me polite smiles from time to time.

I give them a small wave-

Its darker out there.

I have to hurry.

I have to hurry-

Heart beating in my chest, I practically book it out!

Up the endlessly winding road, up past the twinkling lights and the sound, and the crush of people no doubt wondering why the weirdo in the black coat is high-tailing it.

Or not?

I honestly don’t know.

I reach the bus stop in record time, sitting down heavily upon the bench while I wait.

My breath comes in rapid bursts.

Its getting deeper.

The night…

I’m lucky this line of terminals is well-lit.

Otherwise I would definitely be unable to function.

I hate the shadows, the void.

I**_ hate_** it.

One of my biggest fears-

I am deathly afraid something is going to go wrong.

It doesn’t.

At least, not immediately.

I can’t believe she gave me her card to pay for the ride.

She’s so sweet…

I catch myself smiling in the window.

A real smile.

I cannot wait to see her again!

Tell her I actually made some progress-

The engine cuts out, and the doors whoosh open into...

The silence bleak and total.

Oh** God.**

Looking at that blackness, I can’t. **Move.**

I don’t. **Want** to.

I thought-

This is _not_ where I first got on.

He’s waiting for me…

To leave-

I can’t do it.

I can’t stop staring at the emptiness.

I don’t want to be lost.

I don’t want to be eaten alive.

I don’t want to be trapped!

I’m so scared-

A sudden lurching ahead.

The doors are closing.

The vice-grip on my chest releases.

I have no idea where I’m going now.

I have no idea where this bus is heading.

All I know is, as much relief as I feel, it doesn’t escape me that I have missed my chance.

-I **missed** it.

“Wait-Wait STOP!!”

“Thank you”, I murmur.

He has an eyebrow raised, annoyed at me.

I put in the card, and the machine beeps.

I jump and bang my head off the ceiling.

“You put it in the wrong way”.

Silently thankful that that was his only comment, I slip out the narrow opening.

Into the void.

For a moment, I see nothing-

My heart immediately starts sledgehammering.

This is not-this is not good-

_Where’s the sidewalk!?_

I don’t know, but lights in the distance!

Yes…

Traffic zooms in front of me, blocking the way across.

I search for a button to push.

Whatever I hit, it seems to work.

The closer I get to safety, the more I relax.

There’s barely anyone out at this hour.

It’s…it’s nice.

-I lost the brochure.

…Oh well.

I draw in a shaky breath.

I could’ve lost much worse.

No, but really that was cool.

I did like what I got to see…

Maybe next time, we could go together?

My cheeks warm at the idea.

I m-mean-why not?

It would be fun-

…I can’t keep this blush down, d* it!

Come on…

I haven’t even asked her yet.

And already I’m a mess.

I am hyper-aware of what time it is when I knock on her door.

9-ish?

I think-

She grabs me in a hug, arms squeezing me tight.

“Hi!”

“-“

I swallowed my own voice.

Crap.

My brain is short-circuiting-

What was I going to say again?

“How was it?”

I walk in.

“I-it w-was-“

_Speak-!_

“There were a lot of dogs”.

“PUPPIES?”

“…

…

…Uh-huh”.

Her eyes widen.

“I love puppies…”

I love you.

_No_ don’t say that-

“What?”

S*, she heard me.

“U-um-“

“What was that?”

“I-I-there were a ton of paintings and things!”

“Ooh, cool”.

I mentally exhale.

“What was your favorite part?”

“I liked all the rabbits”.

“Yeah, the blue ones, right?

I liked those too”.

“They reminded me of you”.

Wh-!?

“They did?”

Nooo, why did you say that-

“Mm-hm”.

I blush harder than I have all night.

“Aw. Thank you!”

“It’s no problem…”

Change the subject change the subject-

“W-what was your favorite part?”

“Uh…”

I can see the gears turning in her mind.

“It would be…”

I wait.

“All the little animals. And the dogs”.

Yeah, I kind-of figured that would be it.

“I wanted to hug them all”.

And that.

“…”

Do I-

Do I just-

“U-um-“

She looks at me patiently.

My throat closes up.

“I…I was just…w-wondering…”

Why can’t I talk to her!?

It’s just a simple question-

“I was just-“

I feel my face burn up even more.

“I-if next-uh, year-“

Still patiently waiting for me-

“W-we c-could g-go-to-“

This is so…embarrassing…

“T-the Art-thing”.

She smiles.

“T-t-together”.

I brush the back of my hand over my cheek.

As if that will be enough to cool me down…

“I’d love to”.

-She said!?

Before I realize what I’m doing, I’m-

I am legitimately grinning like an idiot.

“Y-you really mean it?”

“Yeah”.

“O-okay”.

I can barely believe it.

Dare I?

…No way.

But-

I can’t ignore how happy I am-

It’s getting late, and I’m still awake.

My eyes ache from the strain of staying decidedly not-asleep.

Yet I keep going over those moments in my mind.

I just-

Although there were some mishaps, today turned out to actually be pretty great.

Maybe…

Maybe I’ll go tomorrow too.

**Author's Note:**

> Does anywhere else have Art Hops, or is it just Burlington?


End file.
